If you haven’t already gathered from all our previous foodie blog posts, we love our grub here at Slaters’ and there’s nothing we love more here at HQ than a sweet treat on an afternoon and it’s fair to say that a doughnut is usually our treat of choice.

Whether you spell it ‘doughnut’ or ‘donut’, the love for the sweet doughy wonder is shared across the world. When it comes to the top UK Doughnut destinations, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to discover the best places to pick up one of these tasty rings of sugary goodness.

We’ve scoured the streets of the big cities to find the very best stops to pick up a decent doughnut, and we think it’s fair to say that the UK’s cities are littered with amazing bakeries and doughnut shops.

We’re not going to include any old doughnut shop in the “Doughnut Diaries” and we have some strict criteria when it comes to judging eateries. What you are about to see is a list of the very best and if they don’t meet our strict standards, they just don’t make the cut.

When it came to finding the very best ‘donutteries’ in the UK we took everything into consideration, obviously taste is key but we looked at the variety they had available, was there an even balance of classic and crazy combinations? Options for vegetarians and vegans? We even checked out if there were serious levels of doughnut envy going on over on their social media!

We’ve narrowed down our top doughnut destinations, and we think it’s about time we shared!

London

Although there isn’t a Slaters’ store in the capital city, it didn’t stop our attention wandering over to London when it came to looking for great doughnuts. Let’s be honest now, it truly is one of the country’s greatest hot spots for all things food!

With 46.6k followers on Instagram and coming up as the top recommendation for ‘doughnuts London’ on Google, we couldn’t not include Crosstown in our round up of the top doughnuts. The king of dough in the capital city, Crosstown has various London locations including Victoria, Soho and Shoreditch, as well as multiple pop ups at markets across the city. On top of their empire of stores they’ve also recently launched an online doughnut collection and delivery for postcodes within the city centre… DOUGHNUTS BROUGHT TO YOUR DOOR!

When it comes to their flavour selection they really haven’t left much to the imagination, with an array of tasty combinations from classics to seasonal specials. No matter how plain or fancy you’re feeling, there’s a doughnut to match your mood. They’ve even gone the extra mile and created a selection of vegan doughnuts that you can pick up at any location Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Whether you check out their Instagram or their website, be sure to avoid when hungry because you’ll be bound to get some serious doughnut envy!

Manchester

We’ve shared with you Manchester’s best eateries before, but we didn’t cover doughnuts, so it’s only fair that we now share with you the city’s hidden gem when it comes to tasty, doughy treats.

Manchester is brimming with delectable doughy choices from its multiple market stands where you can pick up freshly fried sugar doughnuts while browsing around the markets. You can also easily follow the crowd into Krispy Kreme where you are always guaranteed a fine selection. However, dare to venture off the beaten track and you will discover one of Manchester s best kept secrets…

The very best homemade doughnuts are made right in the heart of the city – the Manchester Doughnut Company may have dropped off your radar for one simple reason, they don’t have a store. Their freshly made delights can be found in locations across the city such as various pop up markets so if you want to find them, you’ll have to keep an eye on their social media.

Although their flavours vary from one day to the next, they’ve got a selection of great sounding doughnuts, from classic vanilla to carrot cake, they even have a flavour referred to as ‘cereal milk’, interesting?? We’re awarding bonus points to the Manchester Doughnut Co for their collection of vegan doughnuts, including chocolate & honeycomb ring, cherry & chocolate glazed ring and blueberry, lemon and almond – we’re all about the eateries that have something to offer for everyone!

There’s some good-looking doughnuts featured on their Instagram, so if you’re in need of a little cheering up in the form of a tasty looking treat, @mandoughco is where you need to look!

Brighton

Brighton is best known nowadays for being home to a whole host of internet sensations. So with that comes a lot of helpful free advertising for the best businesses in the area and one doughnut destinations that has the likes of ‘Zoella’ to thank, is Dum Dum.

Also found in London and Harrods, Dum Dum ‘donutterie’ is home to a range of freshly made artisan doughnuts and ‘cronuts’, also known as a croissant doughnut! They use fresh ingredients to create light and tasty creations, and their flavour range combines all the classics with some more unique flavours. Experience their baking ability at its best in their simple flavours such as ‘happy glaze’ and ‘chocolate crème’, or wander into the world of a croissant doughnut cross breed and test flavours such as ‘the zebra’ and ‘cronutella’.

Considering the size and appearance of their doughnuts we think the prices are reasonable at £2.50 per doughnut and £3.50 for a cronut. If you fancy sharing with the whole office, you can pick up a mixed box of doughnuts or cronuts, in 6s or 12s. Celebration coming up? They can make their best-selling flavours into giant 8 or 10-inch cake.

Glasgow

Finding the best doughnuts in Glasgow was a priority, as Slaters’ HQ is based in the heart of the city, so to say we’re a little biased towards our local eateries is a fair comment.

We’ve tested all our local doughnut hotspots and although it was tough, we’ve come to a conclusion about where we think the best doughnuts in Glasgow come from.

Tantrum Doughnuts can be found on Dumbarton Road, Yorkhill and are solely available in Glasgow. Made with the best ingredients to ensure a fresh and tasty flavour, Tantrum pride themselves on serving tasty brioche doughnut creations that are ‘made by people, not machines’. They use freshly sourced, seasonal ingredients, so once they’re gone, they’re gone… so don’t leave it till the end of the day to head down because you might be left disappointed.

Although they start everything from scratch, they certainly don’t scrimp on flavours. The menu changes regularly, but for September you can expect to find classic raspberry jam next to crème brûlée and chocolate truffle, but that’s not to forget their collection of more quirky flavours including ‘Canadian bacon and French toast glaze’ and ‘pistachio and hibiscus’. Whatever mood you’re in, Tantrum have a doughnut to suit, but if you’re not located in Glasgow and need your fix of dough, then their Instagram is the perfect place to get your fill of sweet treats, without the calories.

Edinburgh

We’re not opposed to travelling to the Scottish capital for a good doughnut, so finding somewhere that serves up a decent sweet treat in Edinburgh was also important.

Although we’re not sure the name is inviting us in, their array of doughy creations has us flocking to their door. A full menu of freshly made doughnuts, created with the best locally sourced ingredients and created to have something to please everybody. A small and quant café in Edinburgh that specialises in doughnuts and light lunches by day and fine dining by night, this little eatery is perfect for all occasions.

These doughnuts may look classic, but Deadly Donuts have turned their hand to both classic doughnuts and new favourite, the cronut. The menu has the perfect selection of both simple and unusual flavours, with fresh jam & cream being served next to specials such as elderflower cronuts! As if the likes of cookies and cream and sprinkle doughnuts aren’t enough, they also have a selection of vegan flavours to choose from.

If lovingly made, fresh sweet treats are what you’re after, then Deadly Donuts in Edinburgh needs to be on your radar. They don’t have a website but they keep their social media well updated so you know what flavours you can expect to find and any extra information you need to know!

Newcastle

The hunt for the county’s best doughnuts was a team effort, so we were sure to enlist the help of our teams from all across the UK, and we’ve had reports back from the staff at our Newcastle store, that the north has some seriously tasty treats that need to be talked about.

The Doughnut Guy is based in Newcastle and sells himself on the promise that he’s ‘putting the excitement back into doughnuts’. Now, we’re not convinced there’s ever been a time where doughnuts haven’t been exciting, but if he’s found a way to make them even better, then we’re all for it.

There’s a twist with The Doughnut Guy; all his tasty treats are made to be mouth sized, or as he officially describes them ‘mouth sized doughnuts of heaven’. At first, we weren’t convinced that the idea of ‘less is more’ should be used in relation to our sweet treats, but his selection of flavours and toppings have won us round. The idea with these doughnuts is that you get a pot of fresh bite size doughnuts and add sauces and toppings of your choice to make your very own flavour combination.

There’s all the sauces and toppings you could dream of, from chocolate, toffee and lemon sauces, to sprinkles, marshmallows and meringues to top it all off. You can find The Doughnut Guy at various food fairs and markets, or you can even hire him for your own special event! If you haven’t got an occasion that calls for doughnuts on demand, his Instagram is a good substitute to help fill the doughnut shaped hole in your life.

So, there you have it, our guide to finding the best doughnuts in the UK and not a Krispy Kreme in sight! We wanted to explore the independent and artisan bakeries that are taking over the industry with their tasty and experimental bakes!

If you head to any of these doughnut destinations, be sure to take a picture of your doughy delight and share it with us on Instagram and Twitter, you can find us @Slaters1973!

Kim Murdoch

Kim Murdoch is the senior digital content executive for Slaters - responsible for making the website look epic, devising and creating online campaigns and overseeing email marketing. In her spare time she loves dogs, music, movies and snowsports.